


The Return of Malek

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Series: Kings and Queens of Hearts [9]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Prophecies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 05:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: Uldren and Kayleigh go to the temple on Io when reports place activity inside its doors.





	The Return of Malek

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got around to posting this one. Took me awhile, but here it is. :)  
> Also, if you are confused at to who this Malek dude is, you should probably go back to the first fic.

          Uldren and Kayleigh stare over the edge of a trench. It’s a long fall for someone who isn’t a Guardian, and Kayleigh is fairly sure Uldren doesn’t want to try it. Still, the goal is to reach the temple on Io, and they have to get down somehow. 

          “I can climb down.” 

          Kayleigh makes a noise. “Are you sure?” 

          He shrugs a shoulder. “As sure as I usually am.” 

          Kayleigh nods, watching him pull out his short sword and start making his way down the rock face. The temple on Io hasn’t seen company since Ikora came close during the Red War. She didn’t go inside. Kayleigh leans over the edge, watching Uldren scale down to the height of the other trench wall. It’s another hundred feet to the ground, and Kayleigh really hopes he doesn’t miss his jump.  

          “Kayleigh.” 

          “Yeah?” 

          He glances over his shoulder, adjusting to face the opposite wall enough to jump for it. “Drift to the other side. If something goes wrong-“ 

          “I’ll catch you.” She leaps the gap, landing lightly across the fifteen-foot trench. “Be careful, Uldren.” 

          He hums in affirmation and gets ready to jump. As an Awoken, he’s stronger than a normal human, but it’s still a big leap from a stand-still. He hurls himself across, gritting his teeth as he stumbles upon landing.  

          “Now the only issue is getting back.” 

          “If my Ghost could zap us up to the front door, he would, but everything gets wonky the closer we get to the temple. We might end up transmatting in on a cliff. Ever since the Traveler woke up, this place acts like it doesn't want to be found. Or entered, I suppose, since it wasn't exactly lost.” 

          Jake makes an unhappy noise where he’s trailing along behind them. “I know this was the last place the Traveler actually touched, but I still don’t like it.” 

          “Ikora’s scouts said there was activity in the temple for the first time in ages. We have to check it out.” Kayleigh already has a hunch of who the perpetrator is. 

          “Do we have any idea why? I’m sure there are any number of Guardians who could go.” Uldren asks, raising a brow. 

          “Are you complaining about an adventure?” 

          Uldren huffs a bit, knowing that Kayleigh means she thinks he’s whining. “Of course not, my light. I’m merely stating a fact. We are not the only ones who can do dirty work, and I don’t particularly enjoy being used as a chess piece for the Vanguard.” 

          “As opposed to being a chess piece for Mara? Face it, Uldren. There are just some things we have to do that we don’t always like.” 

          “I am well aware, but why us? Or more specifically, you? You seem determined to reach the temple as if you already know what you’ll find.” 

          Kayleigh pauses this time. “I’ve been here before. A few hundred years ago.” 

          “Oh? I don’t happen to recall.” 

          She slides down a small embankment and continues walking. Uldren follows, wanting answers but not pressing too hard. She’s silent for a long time and Uldren start to wonder if she’s forgotten he asked the question. It’s not unlike her, but he can still feel her mind churning through their bond. She’s definitely deciding what to tell him.  

          “It was before my attunement.” 

          “How long before?” 

          She hopes over a bunch of rocks. “Uh… couple minutes or so.” 

          Uldren’s eyes narrow as he tries to figure out why that matters. “Did you meet someone here?” 

          “Mmhmm.” 

          He tries to draw from her memories, but she’s not letting him in. He’s not offended, but it does make him wonder what it is that she’s hiding. It’s not as if she can’t tell that he’s curious. 

          “You think whoever you met came back?” 

          “Something like that. I have a lot of questions for him.” 

          Uldren wonders at the pronoun. Who could this mysterious ‘him’ be? She’s being vague on purpose, and Uldren knows that she is not usually one to be secretive. Especially not with him. He wonders if maybe it’s meant to stay a secret to protect someone. 

          They arrive at the temple doors fairly quickly, Kayleigh leading the way as if she had been there only the day before. Uldren saw this place in her memories once, but it was only a glimpse. Most places of her past are only that, compressed into small images to keep prying minds like Uldren’s from thinking twice about them. It occurs to him that he probably should have noticed sooner. He doubts she thought of it as a sign of mistrust, but it still makes him wonder about what else could be hiding behind those images.  

          “He told me something once. I have to know if he was wrong.” 

          “Why would you think he was wrong?” 

          She looks back at him, putting her hand on the ornate doors to enter. “Because of you.” 

          Uldren pauses, watching her disappear into the darkness of the building. She doesn’t call back for him to follow, knowing that he will. There will be time for answers after all of this. 

          When he catches up, she’s walking into a courtyard with statues. The whole place seems alive, an energy flowing in the walls that Uldren can’t identify. There are three pedestals around the room, but only two are occupied, one man and one woman. Kayleigh touches the bottom of the female one’s robe, whispering something under her breath. Uldren narrows his eyes at the man, his stone hands lifted to the center of the room. For some reason, he doesn’t like that one. The energy around him hums almost aggressively in response. 

          Finally, Kayleigh moves to the third pedestal. She touches its base as well, sighing. “So, you didn’t come back.” 

          Uldren tilts his head, golden eyes inquisitive. “The statue?” 

          “They aren’t statues, Uldren. These are the high priests of the Vanguard. The  _original_  Vanguard. This is where they would come to focus their blessings.” 

          “Hmm. Did you know any of them?” 

          “Shiro is an old Vanguard. I’ve only met Lazill in dreams. She’s the one standing on that pedestal over there. Hanum is the big one, and he was the Titan priest, obviously.” 

          “So, why is the Hunter missing?” 

          “He left. He gave Andal Brask his light and disappeared.” 

          “Andal? Wasn’t he-“ 

          Kayleigh nods, going quiet for a long moment. “We all miss Andal. I’m sure Malek felt him die.” 

          “Malek?” 

          “Hunter high priest. He was standing right here when we found him, solid as stone.” 

          Uldren glances over his shoulder at the other two statues. “Why didn’t they come back as well?” 

          “They were already dormant. Hanum gave his Light to Saint-14 and Lazill gave hers to Osiris. Malek gave his to Andal and then he just… left. We never saw him again.” 

          “Maybe I was just waiting for the right time to return.” a voice says, speaking up from behind them in a soft tone that strikes Kayleigh as familiar. 

          Kayleigh turns, seeing the Hunter high priest just as she remembered. “Malek.” 

          He approaches, towering over the both of them without even trying. Uldren pushes Kayleigh back a bit, baring his teeth. Kayleigh puts a hand on his shoulder, silently telling him that it’s all right. He relaxes, glancing back at her with confusion. 

          “It’s good to see you again, Kayleigh.” 

          “You too. How was the world?” 

          He shrugs, his dark eyes as soft as they were the day they met. “Different, and far more dangerous. It was quite the thrill, really.” Malek pauses for a short moment. “I’m sorry about Andal. I meant to return when he died, but I was in another quadrant and was preoccupied with a war.” 

          “Do you have your Light back, then?” 

          Malek nods. “It’s renewed and strong. I knew Andal would nourish it, I just didn’t think… I didn’t think he would die so soon after becoming a Vanguard.” 

          “None of us did.” 

          Uldren pulls back a step to stand next to Kayleigh, his expression curious. Malek clears his throat. “I apologize. Where are my manners? I’m Malek.” 

          Uldren shakes his hand when he offers it, looking him up and down in his analytical way. “You seem… familiar.” 

          “We’ve met before. And not at all.” He looks to Kayleigh, something purposeful in his eyes that Uldren doesn’t understand. 

          “I never forget a face.”  

          “No, I’m sure you don’t. That’s because you’ve never seen it.” 

          Uldren’s brow furrows. “Then why do I know you?” 

          Malek looks at Kayleigh again and Uldren knows he’s being left out of some mutual understanding. She makes a minute motion and Malek nods. It feels like she knows him more than just an acquaintance, and yet she said they only met once.  

          “I know all Hunters.” Malek answers, his tone even. 

          “But I’m not a-“  

          Kayleigh looks down at the ground, something hopeless in her expression. 

          “Kayleigh? What’s wrong?” Uldren asks, turning towards her and putting his hands on either side of her face. “What is it?” 

          Her soft blue eyes are sad as she looks at him. “Malek knows all Hunters. Past, present, and… and the ones that haven’t been made Hunters yet.” 

          Uldren’s brow furrows even further. “What does that mean?” 

          She looks to Malek and back, pressing forwards to wrap her arms around his middle. Uldren holds her lightly, surprised. Malek says nothing, standing off to the side as Kayleigh prepares herself to tell him a hard truth. Neither of them like it, but it has to be said. 

          “It means you’re going to die. You have to die to become a Guardian.” 

          Uldren doesn’t know what to say. He searches Malek’s face for the truth, but finds nothing. His only reminder of the circumstances leading to becoming a Guardian is the scar on the side of his cheek.  

          “Malek told me that I shared my essence with a Hunter. I’d kind of forgotten about it until the binding ritual, so I couldn’t just ignore it when I heard that Malek was back. I needed to know if it was true.” 

          Uldren turns to Malek. “And is it?” 

          Malek hums. “I think you both know the answer. If you don’t mind, I would like a few minutes with Kayleigh. We have much to talk about, and I have a decision to make.” 

          Despite his dislike of the situation, Uldren knows that he should have some degree of respect for Malek. “Of course.” 

          He and Kayleigh head away from Uldren, leaving him standing near Malek’s pedestal. Kayleigh glances back at him, noting that his eyes are searching the ground in a futile effort to understand what’s happening. She has to turn away to keep herself from going back to comfort him. There are certain things that need to be done alone. It doesn’t mean she has to like it, but she knows that he’ll be safe. 

          It takes her a second to realize that they’ve entered the Vaulting Spring. Her attunement comes back to her memory vividly and she calms a little bit. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” 

          “Anything.” 

          She looks back at him where he’s still standing in the doorway, staring at the trickle of water that hangs from the ceiling. “What do you mean?” 

          He pulls his hood down, dark eyes softening. “I’m lost, Kayleigh. That’s why I returned. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” 

          “You’re asking me?” 

          Malek leaps up to the rock where Kayleigh once meditated for her Daybreak. “I was going to ask Hanum and Lazill, since they wouldn’t be able to speak and tell me to give it up.” 

          “I’d never tell you to do that anymore than I’d tell Cayde to stay in the Tower forever.” 

          “I don’t have a purpose, Kayleigh. There is no reason for me to stay, but I don’t want to go. I don’t want to be stuck here now that I’ve seen the world out there.” 

          Kayleigh rolls her eyes, throwing a rock at him. “Then don’t stay here. If you need a purpose, you can come with us. If Cayde is restless, you can sub in as the Hunter Vanguard for a little while. There is plenty to do, Malek. Besides, it’s not like anyone will recognize you.” 

          Malek touches a floating stone, sending it slowly spiraling in the opposite direction as he hops back to the ground. “It’s taken a lot of convincing on my part to come back here.” 

          Kayleigh smiles, but due to his uncertainty, it’s fleeting. “Can I bet that it’ll take a lot less to get you to return with us.” 

          “I don’t know. A part of me feels that this is the end of my road. I’ve done all that I can in this world as what I am.” 

          “That’s a load of chiton.” 

          “I beg your pardon?” 

          Kayleigh approaches him, somehow making him seem as if she’s looking down on him while tilting her head up to see his face. “There is always something to be done. There is always purpose. You just need to find a new one.” 

          Malek chuckles warmly despite her invasion of space. “Not all of us are meant to be god-slayers.” 

          “And not all of us have to be.” 

          With a put-upon sigh, Malek gives in, knowing that Kayleigh is too stubborn a force to be reckoned with. “We shall see, I suppose.” 

          Kayleigh scowls. “You still have life and help to give, and that makes it your duty to do that. Sometimes, you have to find purpose.” she says, sounding self-assured and more certain than Malek has been in recent days. Though, she does soften on him a little after saying so. “It’s okay to feel lost. You aren’t the only one in the world to ever feel that way, even if most of them aren’t a thousand years old or more. Usually.... Usually it’s the ones who have known their way the longest that get lost when the path changes.” 

          With a wry sort of smile, Malek shakes his head. “I see why Lazill likes you.” 

          “Because of my gleaming personality and modesty?” Kayleigh answers, a grin on her face and a hand outstretched to offer him a way home. 

          Malek shakes it, a little exasperated with her but not showing it. “I... I suppose.” 

          Kayleigh huffs, smug over her victory. “If all else fails, you can have purpose in letting me tell you what to do.” 

          With that resolved, Kayleigh grows more serious again. Malek picks up on it and waits for her to ask what she wants to know. She is a Warlock, after all. She’ll thirst for knowledge with or without his intervention. 

          “Do you know when Uldren is going to die?” 

          Malek lifts his chin, his brow furrowing even though he figured she would ask. He didn’t think she would put it so bluntly, but he’d forgotten that she wasn’t afraid to admit the truth. “You, of all people, know that no knowledge is infinite.” 

          “I’ll take that as a no.” 

          “Some things aren’t meant to be known.” 

          She runs a hand through her fiery red hair. “I know, I just.... He won’t remember. You know that as well as I do.” 

          Malek puts a hand on his shoulder. “And yet still your souls know each other. He will find it, Kayleigh.” He waits for her to quickly come to grips with the situation, as is her way.  

          “Do you know who kills him?” 

          She expects him to lie, but his dark eyes remain honest. He says nothing, but she hears the answer anyway. With all her questions asked, she leads him back to Uldren. They may not be what she was looking for, but at least it was the truth. 

          Uldren lifts his gaze to them when they enter, his intelligent golden eyes glittering almost dangerously. Kayleigh can see clearly enough that he doesn’t trust Malek, but for her sake, he let her go.  

          “Did you find the answers you were looking for?” he asks quietly. 

          “Some of them.” 

          With one last glare towards the Titan statue, Uldren turns he around and Malek follows them from the building. He listens and watches with quiet interest as Malek slips into the shadows without really noticing. He avoids any bright areas as if it’s his nature. 

          It takes a moment for it to sink in that Malek is very sensitive to light. 

          When they emerge from the doors, Malek tugs his hood up around his raven hair, the sun beating down on the stone beneath their feet. He steps into any patch of shadow he can find that doesn’t deviate too far from their path. Kayleigh eventually convinces him to stop. 

          Uldren is curious now that Malek has proven himself to be trustworthy and non-threatening. It’s hard for him to miss the way the Hunter carries himself, as if he were royalty of some sort. That only makes him more of a mystery. For the first time since he’s known Kayleigh, it’s a mystery she’s not immediately intent on solving. 

          He quietly converses with Kayleigh across their link, sharing information and thoughts just as before. With her newfound knowledge, it wouldn’t have surprised him if she had tried to keep something to herself. Then again, she always continues to surprise him. Somehow, he keeps forgetting. 

          Upon their return to the Tower, no one seems shocked that Kayleigh brought home another looming shadow. It almost brings a smile to Uldren’s face now that he knows just how much that seems to be her second nature. Ikora doesn’t recognize him or perhaps doesn't acknowledge that she does, and Zavala never met him. Cayde, on the other hand, seems pleased as punch that Malek is still alive. 

          “Wow. What’s it been since we last saw you, eh? Three hundred years, give or take?” 

          “Three hundred and twenty-five.” 

          Cayde laughs, sighing a little as he realizes that he’s old. They play catch-up and take about adventures of their recent years. Shiro eventually wanders in, finding his way to the group and settling in. Kayleigh is all the while quiet with Uldren carefully watching over her. She’s never this silent, but he supposes one might become reflective with the maybe-gift of foresight.  

          Evening comes and goes, Kayleigh offering Malek a place to stay until they can get him set up in his new quarters. He’s enjoying the air of mystique that the people of the Tower have labeled him with. Kayleigh just really thinks it’s really funny watching people do double-takes when they realize how tall he is. 

          Even with her friend returned and new things to do, he can tell that her knowledge is weighing on her. Maybe it’s his temperament, but he isn’t afraid of the future that has ahold of Kayleigh’s attention. For some reason, he’s ready for it. He doesn’t have a death wish, but Mara was always good at preparing her soldiers for the idea that they might fall in battle. 

         Uldren will wait and watch. He always has, and if Malek is right, he always will. 


End file.
